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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Soldiers to get 'tax bill bonus' | Soldiers to get 'tax bill bonus' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| UK forces serving in Afghanistan and Iraq are to receive cash bonuses to pay off their tax bill, Defence Secretary Des Browne is set to announce. | UK forces serving in Afghanistan and Iraq are to receive cash bonuses to pay off their tax bill, Defence Secretary Des Browne is set to announce. |
| BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson says it follows a campaign to stop soldiers paying tax on their earnings - something that American GIs do not do. | BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson says it follows a campaign to stop soldiers paying tax on their earnings - something that American GIs do not do. |
| Tony Blair said: "It's something that's obviously important because of the work that the troops are doing." | |
| Mr Browne is set to make the announcement later in the Commons. | |
| 'Long overdue' | |
| The prime minister told the BBC the payment was in recognition of the fact that British troops were going through a completely different experience to soldiers on the battlefield years ago. | |
| I think everybody will be extremely pleased General Patrick Cordingley | |
| General Patrick Cordingley, who commanded the desert rats in the first Gulf War against Iraq, says the decision is long overdue. | |
| "I think everybody will be extremely pleased," he said. | |
| "In the past I've always thought that this tax business when you're abroad on active service doesn't seem to make any sense. | |
| "And in some instances they actually lose various allowances when they go to another theatre. | |
| "For instance if they get overseas allowance for being in Germany they lose half of that because they're no longer in Germany. | |
| "So in fact soldiers, particularly in the first Gulf War, lost money for going to fight for their country." |